Broken Crown
by rundown67chevyimpala
Summary: "Sammy...im proud of you" Then Sam's world went black.
1. Broken Crown

Broken Crown

_**I will not speak of your sin  
>There was a way out for him<br>the mirror shows not  
>your values are all shot<br>**_

**Friday June 2017 7:15am**

Sam woke up to the smell of fresh coffee, pancakes and the sound of his brother singing a song he thinks he should recognise. But he doesn't. Sam rolls over on to his back and stares at the blank ceiling, he knows the song, but he doesn't remember the words.

Reluctantly Sam rolls out of bed, he doesn't bother looking in the mirror he knows what he will see.

Sam steps into the kitchen. The pancakes aren't being made, the coffee isn't fresh and the song he once remembered isn't being sung. Empty. Sam would have cried if it weren't for the fact that any tears he had left dried up years ago. Two years to be in fact, two years since his brother was taken from him. For good.

I should probably take you back to the beginning, try and make sense of what is happening, try and make sense of what had happened and what is yet to occur.

**Wednesday June 2015 5:30am**

"Sammy, get your lazy ass out of bed or I swe-". Sam pulled the pillow over his head, so much for a lay in. Sam smiled under the pillow he admired his brothers new found enthusiasm, even if it did mean stupid o'clock wake up calls.

You see if it had been a few years prior Sam would have found his brothers behaviour odd, but the fact of the matter is, Dean is happy and relaxed. When the mark of Cain was removed it was as if all of Dean's problems were taken with it. If that wasn't weird enough they haven't been on a case in months, not one. It's as if all the demons, monsters and things that go bump in the night packed up their things and left.

Sam was ripped from his thoughts by the smell of fresh coffee and Dean's favourite breakfast food. Pancakes. If anyone had told him that this is what his life would be like, he would have laughed in their faces, whilst secretly hoping it was true.

Sam jumped out of bed and made his way into the kitchen, his face lit up at what he saw. Dean was in his pants, making pancakes and singing 'Hey Jude' like he had wrote the song himself. Sam had so much love and respect for his brother, it was like their lives hadn't been any different up to this point, how he wishes that were true.

"You just gonna stand there all day?" Sam chuckled, trust Dean to ruin a nice moment. "I haven't heard you sing in a long time" It was true Sam hadn't heard Dean sing in a very long time, he had almost forgotten what it sounded like. "Yeah well, I'm in a good mood, now shut up and eat your breakfast" Sam grinned at his brother and did just that.

It was easy to get lulled into a fake sense of security, especially after what the brothers had been through, they would take any chance of happiness they could get. But Sam knew deep down that something wasn't right.

Nothing ever is.

**Wednesday June 2015 5:28pm**

They had gotten a call around 5oclock, a small town called 'Cliff Edge' about a half an hours drive from the bunker. It was experiencing something that nobody could explain. All the towns' residents were dead.

The impala tore down the road, Deans hands firmly gripping the wheel as he made his way into the town, there was only one way to describe it. Empty. It was as if any life form had been sucked up and hidden away. If you wanted to film a zombie movie, here would be the perfect place to do it.

The only sign of life was the local police station which still had its lights on. They pulled up outside and walked over to the door, surely someone was still here.

One knock. Two knocks. No answer. "Hello anybody in there? It's the FBI open up" Dean shouted at the door. Ever so slowly the door creaked open, a small timid women partially hidden behind it. "Hey we got a call about some deaths?" The women opened the door wider and pulled both the boys in by their arms. Once inside she slammed the door closed and locked it, like really locked it, like if you were a robber it would probably take you a day to get in.

"Would you be able to tell us what is going on here?" Sam questioned, trying to look as understanding as possible. "The people, just jumped, I saw…everything" The poor women looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks, her hair was thinning, her skin was pale and the bags under her eyes were deeper than Deans daddy issues.

"What do you mean jumped?" Dean gave his brother a sideways glance, this was definitely strange and this poor women, despite trying, really wasn't helping.

"The cliff, they jumped off the cliff"

It turns out everyone in town must have been suicidal and threw themselves off the cliff at the edge of the town. Strange. They checked for EMF, Hex bags, sulphur and even ectoplasm. Nothing, absolutely nothing.

The neighbouring town wasn't much help either, nobody knew anything, nobody had even heard of 'Cliff Edge'. The case was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. The decided to drive back into 'Cliff Edge' and see if they could get any answers from the women they met earlier.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6….." "STOP!" Sam sprinted over to the women and grabbed her before she threw herself into the rocky pit below. Her face had changed, she looked old it was like she had aged fifty years since the boys had been gone, they had only been gone twenty minutes.

Before Sam could stop it the women slinked out of his grasp and stepped off the cliff.

**Wednesday June 2015 5:50pm**

The brothers sat in the impala in silence, not a word was spoken, and not a glance was given. What had they missed? How had they missed it?

"Look it wasn't your fault man, whatever it was clearly couldn't be stopped" Sam wanted to agree with Dean, wanted to brush it off as just another case gone wrong, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, and he blames himself for missing whatever it was.

They entered the bunker in a comfortable silence, it was nice to be home. But the comfortable feeling was soon shattered when they saw what was waiting for them on their sofa.

"Hello Boys"

Sam and Dean gaped at the king of hell, long story short, he was supposed to be dead. Buried in the ground, head detached from his body dead.

"What's the matter boys, hell hound got your tongue?" Crowley smirked sarcasm dripping from his voice like an annoying leaky tap. "First of all get your feet off my table, and secondly how in god's name are you alive?" Dean practically spat at him, he clearly wasn't in the mood for Crowley's games.

On Deans request he slowly lifted his feet off the table and gave the boys a toothy grin. "You really thought you could kill the king of hell? Please, your good boys but you aren't that good". The backhanded compliment did nothing but make Dean more annoyed, they had just been on their first case in months and everything went to shit, but Sam had to give it to his brother he was keeping his cool pretty well.

"You wouldn't know anything about the case we were just on, would you Crowley?" Sam questioned the demon, his patience also starting to wear thin. "What? People throwing themselves off a cliff, that's just a normal Saturday for me Moose". After an hour of questioning and a lot of swearing Dean and Sam were ready to give up, that was until Crowley was half way out the door.

"Did you like 'Cliff Edge' though boys? made it myself". Of course. There wasn't anything else in the world that could create a place that doesn't exist out of nothing, and it explains how the neighbouring town had never heard of it. Son of a bitch.

"I bet your wondering why hmm? Well its simple really, I missed my favourite play things and decided that your little holiday was over". With that Crowley was gone.

If Sam thought things seemed strange now he was in for the shock of his life.

**Friday June 2015 10:00pm**

Bleak. That was one word to describe how the brothers were feeling. When you visit a grave you're supposed to bring flowers, cry and tell whoever is listening 'I am fine', or 'the kids are doing great'.

Dean doesn't do flowers, he is pretty sure he has forgotten how to cry and there isn't any point in words, he knows nobody is listening. The grave isn't anywhere special there isn't even a stone to tell people that somebody has been laid to rest there, maybe laid to rest is the wrong phrase, maybe put out of their misery would be better.

"You know I never even said thank you" Dean told Sam or maybe he was muttering it to himself, Sam didn't know the difference anymore. "He wouldn't have wanted you to Dean", it was true, everything Castiel did was out of love for the brothers, out of love for Dean.

It's been almost 3 years since Cas sacrificed himself for the brothers, it wasn't the first time but it was his last. It all happened so fast, one minute Metatron had a knife at Dean's throat the next minute that same knife was through Castiel's heart, as the light drained from his eyes he looked straight at Dean and smiled. The kind of smile you give to your child at graduation, the kind of smile you give your brother when you come back from the dead for the fifth time. The kind of smile Dean never got from his father.

Things had gone on pretty much the same since Crowley's little visit, the only difference being the boys were a lot more on edge, just waiting for something to happen, just waiting for something to destroy their peace.

"Come on Dean it's getting late". Dean nods, lays a single black feather on the ground even though he knows it will blow away, they always do.

**Saturday June 2015 3:00am**

Sam can't sleep, he can hear Dean praying in his room. Sam doesn't know who he is praying to anymore it changes every night. He thinks it may be their mum tonight, he can tell by the way Deans voice softens, he sounds younger, he sounds…..broken.

But Sam cant shake the feeling that Dean is hiding something from him, don't ask him how he knows he just does, he knows his brother better than his brother knows himself. Maybe. There was something about the way Dean looked at Crowley when he graced them with his presence three days ago, like he had known he was going to be there.

'What are you hiding Dean?' and with that final thought Sam got comfy and closed his eyes.

**Thursday June 2016 9:00pm**

One year is all it took, one year for it all to come out. Everything. All of Deans lies and secrets came flooding out of him, apparently if you get Dean drunk enough he becomes very truthful.

Did you know Dean was mentally and sexually abused by their dad? Sam didn't.

Did you know Dean never actually wanted to become a hunter? Sam didn't.

Did you know Dean made a deal with Crowley? Sam didn't, but he does now. Turns out Dean was actually supposed to jump off that cliff on their last 'case', it was a big elaborate set up, to make Deans death look like some supernatural voodoo made him do it. But no, it would have been Dean jumping off that cliff on his own free will, what made him change his mind? Well apparently Dean didn't want his little brother to see him go like that.

"Are you serious I don't want to see you go at all Dean!" No amount of yelling seemed to get through to Dean, it's like he wasn't there, he was numb, barely taking in Sam's words, not blinking, not once.

So this deal Dean made with Crowley? Well apparently Sam gets to live a happy normal apple pie life in exchange for Deans life, the collection date…..one year.

Deans year was up.

**Thursday June 2016 11:16pm**

The drive back to the bunker was quiet, suffocating silence that drove Sam insane. His brother had done some crazy things for him in the past but this? This was the rotting cherry on top.

They sat in silence in Deans room, Deans once vibrant green eyes looked more like a murky swamp covered in fog with no sign of daylight. Dead. Deans eyes looked dead and Sam couldn't stand to look in them.

"Sammy i….." Dean looked down at his hands, Sam knew what Dean wanted to say, they have been saying it all their lives, even though the word love has never been uttered between them, they know and that's all that matters.

**Friday June 2016 5:56pm**

Horrible places hospitals, the smell and the noises, they make you feel like your dying even when your not. Sam was in the waiting room playing that moment again in his head, that moment he got the call that will change his life.

"Hello, Sam Winchester? Its your brother hes been in a car accident"

Sam should of cursed Crowleys name to the heavens but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to do it, he just wanted to see Dean, the doctors may not know it, but this would be the last time they ever see Dean Winchester. Alive.

Sam slowly walked into the room, the steady beep of the heart monitor giving Sam false hope. Dean looked awful and I bet his beloved baby wasn't looking any better. "Hey Dean, now when I said be quick, I didn't mean fast and furious quick ok". Dean gave a weak chuckle, keeping Dean laughing was the only thing Sam could think to do right now, this was going to be the last time he would hear his brother, and he would be damned if it wasn't him laughing.

10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

"Hey Sammy…im proud of you"

1…..The heart beat monitor gave one last final beep and then Sams world went black.

**Sunday June 2016 4:00pm**

Dean died on the sixth day, on the sixth month of the sixth hour. The devil was definitely laughing.

"How you doing Moose?" Crowley kept visiting Sam, telling him how lucky he was to be the last one standing, yeah lucky him.

"So where did you bury the squirrel anyway?" Like Sam would tell him, but for those of you who want to know, Sam buried his brother next to someone who made his life bright.

Sam buried Dean right next to his guardian angel, Castiel.

Crowley soon got bored of taunting Sam and stopped showing up, so much for the happy apple pie life the only thing happy about Sam was that Crowley decided he really wasn't worth his time anymore.

Everyday is the same, wake up, survive, sleep. Sam has the first two parts down, but sleep doesn't come as easily as it used to, in fact he cant remember the last time he slept.

**Friday June 2017 7:15am**

Two years since Dean died. Two years since Sam has had a healthy nights sleep. Two years he has had to put up with the voices in his head and the aching in his soul. No more.

So here he was sat at the end of his brothers bed, holding a gun, still wishing he could remember the damn words to that song his brother once sang.

He should of known it would end like this, they always said it would be Sam Winchester who would kill all the demons, he wishes they would of told him the demons were in his head. Without a second thought Sam lifted the gun to his temple and squeezed his eyes shut.

10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

3.

2.

With one last final breath he pulls the trigger, as he falls to the bed he smiles, he remembers the words.

_**And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain  
>Don't carry the world upon your shoulders<br>For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool  
>By making his world a little colder<strong>_


	2. Sound The Bugle

Sound the bugle

**Same story as Broken Crown but from Dean's point of view.**

**_I'm a soldier wounded so I must give up the fight  
>There's nothing more for me lead me away<br>Or leave me lying here  
><em>**_  
><em>**Friday June 2016 5:56**

It was official, Dean hated hospitals. Was this really how the great Dean Winchester was going to spend his last breaths? How painfully ordinary. Sam still hasn't come in to see him, maybe he is disappointed in him? Why wouldn't he be, it's all his fault. Everything is his fault.

Let's start from the beginning and explain how this happened, try to make sense of what is going to happen.

**Wednesday June 2015 5:30am**

Dean was in the kitchen making breakfast, it was Dean's new favourite thing to do. Not only does it keep his thoughts away from past…..grief, but it is also a great way to take care of his brother, the one thing he has been told to do religiously since he was a young boy.

"Sammy, get your lazy ass out of bed or I swear 'Heat of the moment' is going to be on repeat every morning, for the rest of your life!" Dean had to chuckle, maybe half five in the morning was bit of an early wake up call, but he will be damned if Sam thought he was going to spend the morning alone.

"…And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain don't carry the world upon your shoulders for well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool by making his world a little colder…." Dean was singing at the top of his lungs, he turned to see Sam standing in the door way smirking at him, smug little bastard.

"You just gonna stand there all day?" Dean wouldn't mind of course, that would mean more pancakes for him. . "I haven't heard you sing in a long time" Dean looked up at Sam, he was right. Dean can't remember the last time he sung. Dean can't remember if he even used to sing at all. "Yeah well, I'm in a good mood, now shut up and eat your breakfast" Dean smiled at his brother as he watched him eat, it was going to be a good day.

**Wednesday June 2015 5:28pm**

Dean had been waiting for the call to come, he knew it was coming so he wasn't surprised at all. It was just as they had planned, fake case, fake deaths in a town called 'Cliff Edge'. It was a great set up for an 'accidental death', that's if you can call suicide accidental. Dean had made the deal with Crowley a while ago, Sam will get to live a normal happy life, the price. Dean's life.

Deans year wasn't up yet but Dean didn't want Sam to know what he had done so they decided to stage it so that it looked like an accident.

They were driving into 'Cliff Edge' Deans knuckles were white against the steering wheel, he could do this, he had to. For Sammy.

The non-existent town was empty, just like they planned, it had to be believable after all. Dean knew exactly where to go, the police station. There would be a woman in there, one of Crowley's demons, hopefully she would stick to the plan or Dean would have to put a bullet through her head and then chop it off for good measure.

Dean knocked on the door, this bitch better answer. After the second knock Dean grew impatient. "Hello anybody in there? It's the FBI open up" the door opened ever so slightly at that, a small woman glancing up at them, half of her hidden by the door. "Hey we got a call about some deaths?" Sam tried to get a response from the woman, but all she did was grab them by their arms and drag them in. She slammed the door and locked it. Deans fingers twitched, ready to grab the gun tucked in his pocket.

Dean was just about to ask what was going on but was interrupted by Sam. "Would you be able to tell us what is going on here?" Dean took a glance at his brother he had that 'I may be 6ft4 but I am actually a big puppy' look on his face. "The people, just jumped, I saw…everything" The demons acting skills were pretty impressive, this was definitely going to work.

Dean decided to put his own acting skills to the test. "What do you mean jumped?" nailed it.

After a an explanation that pretty much made no sense what so ever, they decided to check for anything supernatural, you know EMF, sulphur all that fun stuff.

Sam convinced Dean to go to the neighbouring town, like that will be any good 'Cliff Edge' isn't a real place, not that he would tell Sam that.

**Wednesday June 2015 5:45am**

Dean was standing at the edge of the cliff, he was gonna do it, he was going to jump. Sam would finally get a normal life, he won't have his stupid big brother ruining it for him anymore.

'You have been looking after Sam your whole life, you're really gonna stop now? Idjit' Dean could hear Bobby in the back of his head, telling him how stupid he was, how it would break Sams heart. Dean couldn't let Sam see him go like this, couldn't let Sam find him at the bottom of this cliff. With that he took a step back away from the cliff, then he heard Sam shout.

Dean didn't die, but somebody had to.

**Wednesday June 2015 5:50pm**

The drive back to the bunker was awkward, turned out the demon….woman had taken Deans place and jumped off the cliff, Sam was blaming himself when really he should be blaming Dean.

"Look it wasn't your fault man, whatever it was clearly couldn't be stopped" Dean tried to reason with his brother, make him feel a little less guilty. It didn't seem to be working though.

They entered the bunker in a comfortable silence, man it was good to be home. But the comfortable feeling was soon shattered when they saw what was waiting for them on their sofa.

"Hello Boys" oh fuck.

The brothers gaped at the king of hell, what the hell was Crowley doing here, he was supposed to be pretending to be dead still.

"What's the matter boys, hell hound got your tongue?" Crowley smirked, sarcasm dripping from his voice like an annoying leaky tap. "First of all get your feet off my table, and secondly how in god's name are you alive?" Dean practically spat at him, he wasn't in the mood for Crowley's games.

On Dean's request Crowley slowly lifted his feet off the table and gave the boys a toothy grin. "You really thought you could kill the king of hell? Please, your good boys, but you aren't that good". The backhanded compliment did nothing but make Dean more annoyed.

"You wouldn't know anything about the case we were just on, would you Crowley?" Sam questioned the demon, his patience also starting to wear thin. "What? People throwing themselves off a cliff, that's just a normal Saturday for me Moose". After an hour of questioning and a lot of swearing Dean and Sam were ready to give up, that was until Crowley was half way out the door.

"Did you like 'Cliff Edge' though boys? made it myself". Was Crowley serious, Dean had told him Sam wasn't to know anything about this! Dean was now beyond furious. "I bet your wondering why hmm? Well its simple really, I missed my favourite play things and decided that your little holiday was over". Ok Dean had to admit that was a pretty good save from the demon, but he was still pissed off.

**Friday June 2015 10:00pm**

Dean did this every Friday, it has become a sort of habit of his. He doesn't bring flowers, or pour his heart out, this isn't some sort of chick flick. He stands there and remembers. Remembers all the times Cas saved his ass and didn't ask for anything in return.

"You know I never even said thank you" Dean thought. "He wouldn't have wanted you to Dean", shit maybe he said it out loud. Oh well no taking it back now.

Three years since Cas died, it was a big fight with Metatron and Cas took a blade to the heart for Dean, he can remember the way Cas had looked at him, like everything was going to be ok, it wasn't though. Dean had to bury one of the best things that ever happened to him, and that broke his heart. Cas may have been a pain in the ass at times, but Dean loved him, loved him in a way nobody would understand. Dean didn't even understand it, now he never will.

Since Crowleys visit, everything went back to normal. Kind of, Sam was a lot more edge and Dean, well, Dean was never off the edge.

"Come on Dean it's getting late". Dean nodded, layed a single black feather on the ground where Cas was buried and walked away with his brother. A single tear fell down his cheek.

**Thursday June 2016 9:00pm**

They had gone to the bar, just for a nice night out and to forget about what had happened last year, but Dean had consumed more alcohol then was really necessary.

"-he did that for eighteen years Sammy, he would hit me and tell me that I was worth nothing, I let him touch me Sammy, I let him touch me so that he wouldn't touch you!" Dean wanted to stop talking, why couldn't he stop talking!?

"I didn't even want to be a hunter, I wanted to….i don't even know anymore, I was dragged into the family business Sammy and I couldn't get out of it" Dean was spilling out the truth like a man possessed.

"I was supposed to jump off that cliff Sammy, I made a deal with Crowley. Im sorry. I want you to have a normal life so bad, it was the only thing I could think to do, I don't even know what I was thinking Sammy oh my god I fucked up. Not of it was real Sammy, Crowley made it up, but I couldn't do it, I didn't want you to see me go, not like that". Well there it is.

"Are you serious I don't want to see you go at all Dean!" Dean knew Sam was shouting, but he couldn't make out the words, the world around him was blurry, he felt like he was going to pass out.

"My year is up Sammy".

**Thursday June 2016 11:16pm**

Sam insisted he drove back to the bunker, it was probably for the best, Dean couldn't see his own hands in front of his face. The drive back was silent, but not the comfortable kind, it gave Dean goose bumps and made his palms sweaty, or was that the alcohol?

When they got back to the bunker they sat in Deans room, Dean couldn't look Sam in the eyes, afraid of what he would see. "Sammy i…" he couldn't get the words out, but he knew Sam would understand, he always did.

**Friday June 2016 5:56**

It was official, Dean hated hospitals.

Dean had only been driving to the local shops to get something to eat. He may have been going a little fast, but nothing to extreme. A truck had drove into the side of him, Dean had been knocked unconscious, he didn't want to think about the state of his poor baby.

Dean tried to turn his head when he heard his brother enter the room, but it was too painful. Sam looked like hell, Dean would know he's been there. "Hey Dean, now when I said be quick, I didn't mean fast and furious quick ok". Sam was trying to make him laugh, Dean found himself chuckling despite the pain in his chest. Dean studied his brothers face, this was it, this was the last time he would see his baby brother.

10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

"Hey Sammy…im proud of you"

1…..The heart beat monitor gave one last final beep and Dean closed his eyes for the very last time.

**_Sound the bugle now tell them I don't care  
>There's not a road I know that leads to anywhere<br>Without a light fear that I will stumble in the dark  
>Lay right down, decide not to go on.<em>**


End file.
